


A Clan Ephemeral

by DynastyKit



Series: Ephemeral [1]
Category: Samurai Warriors
Genre: Battlefield, Betrayal, F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Loyalty, Marriage, Samurai, Samurai Warriors - Freeform, Sengoku - Freeform, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-10-17 12:15:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10593822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DynastyKit/pseuds/DynastyKit
Summary: Akechi Mitsuhide attempts to lead his faltering clan through the turbulent times of Sengoku Japan. This will be a long story and will include nearly every character of Samurai Warriors in some fashion; Oda Clan members will understandably be the most prominent of the Samurai Warriors cast. (Cross-posted on Fanfiction.net)**ON HIATUS**





	1. Chapter 1

Act I Mino

-

“Do we have to train in this weather?” The young Akechi Yasuhide groaned while looking down at his feet as he walked, carefully avoiding stepping into any mud puddles created by the light rain above.

“And this early, too?” Akechi Mitsutada yawned and attempted to keep his oil-paper wagasa covering him from the rain as he stretched.

“Don’t you two ever want to honor our family? We must practice everyday until we can beat Mitsuhide!” Akechi Mitsuharu remarked, trying to act as if he were unperturbed by waking up before dawn, and by travelling through the rain.

Akechi Mitsuhide, who was leading his family, stopped in a large patch of grass, and turned towards them. “Yasu, Tada,” he called them by their nicknames affectionately. “Haru is right, this is how my grandfather taught me, and now I’m teaching you all.” He smiled.

Tada bowed to his cousin, Mitsuhide, and Yasu followed suit. “I’m sorry, brother,” Yasu uttered as he lifted his head.

Mitsuhide sat down on his knees, holding his wagasa over his head. In his other hand, he wielded a bokken, which was an exact wooden replica of his katana that was fastened around his waist. “Alright, let’s get started.”

The other three spread out in a triangular formation around Mitsuhide; they each dropped their wagasas, and brandished their own bokken. Yasu walked out in front of Mitsuhide. Yasu had wide eyes and a round and chubby young face that was brimming with confidence. His hair was cut short and barely reached his shoulders. He shared the same hair color as his brother, Mitsuhide, dark hair with a purple tint. Yasu wielded a bokken fashioned after an wakizashi, since he was not able to hold a larger weapon. In addition to being the youngest member of the family, just a teen, he was small even for his age. Yasu didn’t enjoy combat; although he had been training since he could walk, he still was far too weak and fragile to fight and the other members of the Akechi worried that he would not be able to live up to their family name, especially that of Mitsuhide’s. 

The second youngest was Mitsutada. A the dark eyed man with short, messy hair was by far the largest and strongest member of the Akechi. Built like a warrior, Tada had broad shoulders and a body composed of well-defined muscles. His strong jawline and scruffy facial hair made him popular among any potential wives. However, Tada’s tough look was misleading. Instead of being the proud, confident warrior that he appeared to be, he was actually very timid and shy, and this showed even in combat. When Tada fought, he became nervous and unsure of his attacks; he regularly would not follow through with his movements, which would give his opponents many openings in battle. Tada’s bokken was in the shape of an large odachi, although his preferred weapon was the much larger, bone-crushing club, the kanabo. With his inhuman strength, he could even wield his human-sized wooden club with ease.

The oldest of Mitsuhide’s three trainees was Mitsuharu, who also went by Haru. who carried honor and duty above all else much like Mitsuhide. Haru had an average build, not large like his younger brother, Tada, yet not small like his younger cousin, Yasu. He had a slim face and all of his facial features were petite. Two qualities that he picked up from Mitsuhide, who acted as his older brother for a while, were always staying clean-shaven and refusing to cut his hair. Instead, Haru wore his sleek, jet black hair in a large and messy ponytail that reached to his lower back.

Since the two were around the same age, Haru was just barely old enough to spend some time training with Mitsuhide and his grandfather while his grandfather was still alive. Thus Haru was already well-trained; his skills with his katana almost rivaling that of Mitsuhide’s. However, even with the help of both Yasu and Tada, Haru has never been able to defeat Mitsuhide, but he was determined to change that this dreary day.

Mitsuhide was the patriarch and oldest male member of the Akechi Clan. His father died soon after he was born, and he became the heir and eventual leader of the Akechi after his grandfather passed away a few years after his father. Due to Mitsuhide growing up with his cousin, Haru, they had much in common yet subtle differences between them. While they both had beautiful, silky, long hair, Haru kept his hair messy, Mitsuhide made sure to keep his purple tinged ponytail neat. Mitsuhide and Haru both held honor very highly, but Mitsuhide wasn’t as strict in his ways as Haru.

“Alright, I’m ready when you are,” Mitsuhide smiled at Yasu who was standing a few dozen feet in front of him, with Mitsuhide on his knees, they were about the same height.

The three stood there in silence, all waiting for Mitsuhide to drop his wagasa. The three surrounding him awkwardly looked at each other for a minute. When it became apparent that Mitsuhide wasn’t going to drop oil-paper umbrella, Haru decided to speak, “Mitsuhide… We are waiting for you to put away your wagasa…”

“Is that what’s taking you three so long? Don’t worry about this old thing. Come at me,” The three looked at each other with puzzled faces; they knew that was Mitsuhide’s favorite umbrella, given to him by an old friend, yet he called it an ‘old thing’. 

Yasu shrugged at his two cousins, and then held up his bokken, charging straight for Mitsuhide first. Mitsuhide’s smile grew as he watched his naive brother run at him, he lifted his bokken and blocked Yasu’s swing at him. At that point Mitsuhide heard sloshy steps behind him, getting closer and closer. Mitsuhide easily pushed the smaller Yasu away, making Yasu stumble backwards before tripping into a muddy puddle, Mitsuhide then hopped to his feet and swung around towards the other two. Tada and Haru were only a few steps away when Mitsuhide stepped back and stuck his wagasa out towards them. Both of them attempted to stop before they ran into Mitsuhide’s umbrella, causing them to slip and fall onto their backs in mud.

Mitsuhide laughed as he stood over his family members, each of them now covered in mud, “This is why I brought you to train in the rain. You must always be aware of your surroundings, and use them to your advantage.” Mitsuhide waited for the three of them to get back onto their feet. “Now, let’s try this ag-” Suddenly, a young girl shrieked and began calling out for help.

The four of them quickly looked to the sound of the scream, Mitsuhide dropped his bokken and began running in the direction of the girl’s cries, unsheathing his katana while he ran. “Come on!” He ordered, and the three others followed him. They ran through a group of trees, and on the other side, a small girl kneeled over a body on the floor. She was sobbing loudly as the four Akechis approached.

The girl gasped as she heard their footsteps and turned her head just enough to see who was approaching. When she saw their swords, she crawled over the body and tried to stand up before Mitsuhide called to her. “Wait! We’re not here to hurt you!” She stopped and turned to the Akechi men, she was shaking and her dress was covered in blood. 

Haru looked down at the body that the girl was kneeling over just moments before. He discovered a motionless male corpse with multiple splotches of blood all over its clothes. The three others watched as Haru stepped up to the body, checking for any vital signs. “Dead…” He uttered as he looked back to the rest of his group.

That single word conclusion caused the girl to burst into tears, “Oh no! Please no!”

Mitsuhide slid his Katana back into its sheath and slowly walked over to the girl, who couldn’t have even been a teen, placed his hand on her shoulder and kneeled to get eye level with her. “What happened to your father? We will make sure that he gets justice,” he spoke softly to the trembling, sobbing girl.

“Wh-What good is justice when he’s dead!?” she cried out shakily.

“Please,” Mitsuhide insisted, but continued in a gentle tone, “We don’t want anymore good men like him to die for no reason.”

The girl took a deep breath and rubbed her wet, red eyes. “Th-There was some soldiers…” She paused and looked at Mitsuhide, who gave her a comforting smile. “They got in a fight with daddy… They argued and yelled to each other… And then… Then...” 

Mitsuhide could see she was about to break down again, so he intervened. “Argued about what?”

She tried drying her face with her sleeve before talking again. “They wanted him to join them… They said they were gonna go take down Lord Saito, but my father wouldn’t do it…”

Mitsuhide involuntarily squeezed her shoulder in surprise; she let out a small whimper but Mitsuhide payed no attention as he was deep in thought. The Saito Clan that Mitsuhide served had recently been in turmoil since rumors began circulating that Saito Dosan, the lord of Mino, had decided to name one of his younger sons as heir instead of his oldest son, Saito Yoshitatsu. This worried Yoshitatsu, who quickly took action and murdered a number of his brothers, and began plotting against his father. Now it seemed that Yoshitatsu had finally made his move and rallied his men to attack Dosan in an attempt to overthrow his father and gain control of Mino. Mitsuhide knew that Yoshitatsu was very cunning and must have amassed a large number of troops to finally attack Dosan.

Mitsuhide stood up and hugged the girl reassuringly, “Go home to your family, we will take care of your father’s body.” The girl quickly disappeared into the forest. Mitsuhide motioned for the others to follow him and began walking away.

“Hey brother! You said we were going to take care of the body!” Yasu ran next to him and started walking beside him.

Mitsuhide looked up at the darkening sky, the rain had stopped but the sky was now becoming dense with black clouds. “Yasuhide,” He spoke somberly, “Soon there will be thousands of more bodies we will have to take care of.”

“You don’t actually think… That Yoshitatsu is after Lord Dosan’s head?” Mitsuhide nodded before Tada finished. 

“Mitsuhide,” Haru spoke up as they walked on with Mitsuhide leading them. “Where are we going?” Mitsuhide didn’t answer, so Haru persisted sternly, “Mitsuhide, where are we going?” 

Mitsuhide sighed, “Home.” 

Haru knew this answer was coming and responded sharply, “You know we should be going to battle instead. We cannot abandon Lord Dosan!”

Mitsuhide stopped walking and quickly turned around, the other three were caught off guard as they all flinched. Mitsuhide spoke to Haru in a hushed, yet harsh tone, “Mitsuharu! I’m not having this argument with you right now! We will get our family to safety first, and then help defend Dosan!” Haru’s face turned red and his breathing got heavy, yet he nodded to Mitsuhide, who turned and continued walking. It was not uncommon for the two of them to argue, but Mitsuhide had never snapped like that before; he was in no mood to mess around in the face of an impending crisis.

Finally they arrived at Inabayama Castle, Saito Yoshitatsu’s castle, also near where the Akechi family lived. The castle and surrounding area was in a frenzy when they arrived. Troops were lining up and marching. Civilians and soldiers were being rounded up and executed; the sole reason being that they supported Saito Dosan. Mitsuhide feared that this was the fate that awaited him and his family as well, so he rushed to the Akechi mansion.


	2. Chapter 2

In a large room, a young woman sat and anxiously stroked her long, black hair while an older woman played a gentle tune on a shamisen. Each strum helped to sooth the young woman, who closed her eyes and began whistling along with the shamisen. The melody echoed throughout the empty manor, where it briefly continued even after the musician had stopped. 

The older of the two gave off a wise aura, her hair was turning grey and her face began to wrinkle. Being a very traditional woman, she had her hair tied back with a large comb and many ornate pieces holding it together. Her light brown eyes were sharp; her nose was slim and pointy. Although a strict and mean old woman in appearance, she was always well-mannered with good intentions.

The younger woman was dressed very conservatively; she was wearing a long white dress covered in purple bellflowers. Her sleeves reached her hands while her arms were wrapped in bandages up to her elbows— only her fingers were exposed. Her legs were in a similar state, her ankles were wrapped in bandages up to her knees. Even inside her own home, she had a hood pulled over head, trying her best to hide her face from being seen. However, despite all the covering up she did, she had long, shiny black hair flowing over her shoulders and down the front of her dress.

The aged woman set down the shamisen and gently ran her thumb across the younger woman’s scar ridden face. “How do you feel?” the older woman asked as she stopped examining the other’s scars and looked into the her eyes.

The young woman sighed as she slumped over, “Still worried.”

“Sit up, that’s bad for your back,” the older woman stood up and walked out of the room. 

“Of course, Lady Chieko,” she muttered as she sat up straight.

Toki Chieko returned with cups of tea for the both of them; leaving behind a trail of steam from the other room, “Hiroko. Don’t you worry about them, they’ll be back.” 

“I know, but…” Hiroko paused and took a sip of her tea, “Still, it hurts to think of all the horrible things that could happen to him…”

“I’m his mother, trust me, you’ll ge-” she was silenced by the room’s sliding doors opening.

Hiroko gasped and got onto her feet as quickly as she could in her dress. She ran to the door and greeted Mitsuhide with a tight hug, “Darling! I was so worried!”

Mitsuhide smiled and wrapped his arms around Hiroko, “I was worried about you too, my love.”

Hiroko smiled up at him, “I thought you went to battle without telling us, I was scared that I wouldn’t have gotten to say goodbye...”

“Of course not, I’d never make you worry like that,” Mitsuhide gazed into Hiroko’s eyes now.

Hiroko looked away and grumbled, “I worry every time you go out, you know…”

Mitsuhide sighed and squeezed her tightly, “Let’s not get into this right now, dear. We have to leave Inabayama, so go gather whatever you need.”

“Leave? But why?” Hiroko questioned.

Before Mitsuhide could respond, Mitsuharu stepped around the two lovers and into the mansion as he said, “Our family has served Dosan for generations, even when the Aunt Chieko’s family ruled, and we refuse to tarnish the Akechi name by serving a traitor such as Yoshitatsu!”

Mitsuhide let go of Hiroko and nodded, “And there’s no doubt that Yoshitatsu and his conspirators know this. Since he hasn’t come after us already, we must use this opportunity to escape.”

Chieko sighed as Haru, Tada and Yasu all stepped into the room, “Did you all have to get so muddy out there?” 

The three looked down at themselves, their clothes and shoes were covered in mud. “Sorry, mom…” Yasu apologized. 

“Mother, there’s really no time for that now!” Mitsuhide complained.

“Well, I don’t want everyone to think our clan is full of a bunch of dirty, misbehaven Burakumin!” Chieko responded.

Mitsuhide rolled his eyes before speaking, “Go change as fast as you can and grab anything essential; we’re leaving as soon as possible.”

They all agreed and split up to gather various items to bring on the trip to safety. After a couple of minutes the six of them left their mansion on horseback. As they passed by Inabayama Castle this time, it seemed nearly abandoned— save for the piles of dead and dying —and every other able body went with Saito Yoshitatsu to attack Saito Dosan.


	3. Chapter 3

From the overlooking mountain Inabayama, they could see the armies of Dosan and Yoshitatsu split only by the river called the Nagaragawa. Mitsuhide stopped his horse and watched as the two armies began to battle. He couldn’t help feeling guilty as he watched his lord Dosan’s relatively small army attack Yoshitatsu’s large army. Hiroko, who was also riding on Mitsuhide’s horse, wrapped her arms around Mitsuhide’s waist and embraced her lover. She laid her head on his shoulder and spoke in a hushed yet optimistic tone, “Mitsuhide… I think what you’re doing is very noble. Your grandfather would be very proud that you’re saving your family.”

Mitsuhide sighed and smiled back at her, “Thank you, love. Your support means the world to me.”

“Hiroko, Mitsuhide!” Haru, who was at the head of the group, growled. “I’m fully capable of leading us to Akechi Castle myself! So if you two want to stay here and keep loving it up, that’s fine by me!”

“Mitsuharu! That’s no way to talk to your older cousin!” Chieko, who was riding with Haru, scolded him, and then looked back at Mitsuhide and Hiroko. “He’s right, though. We shouldn’t waste any time,” Mitsuhide nodded in agreement and they continued riding at a steady pace, not wanting to tire their horses out as it was a long trek to Akechi Castle. 

Only a few minutes into the journey, the silence began to bother Yasu, who was riding with his cousin Tada, “So… What happens when we get to Akechi Castle?” 

Everyone else had the same question, so no one answered. Hiroko nudged Mitsuhide, who had been staring blankly at the sky, worrying about the future of his clan. “Huh?” Mitsuhide had missed the question completely as he was lost in thought yet again. 

Hiroko whispered into his ear, “Tell Yasu what we’re gonna do once we get to Akechi Castle.” 

“Oh,” Mitsuhide looked ahead of him to see everyone else looking back at him, “Well, we’re going to wait.” 

“Wait?” Yasu questioned.

Mitsuhide responded somberly, “Yes. If Lord Dosan defeats Yoshitatsu, then everything returns to normal. If Yoshitatsu defeats Lord Dosan… I don’t know.” 

“Okay… Maybe we can get some of Dosan’s friends to he-”

“Yasu! Shh!” it was unlike the shy Tada to silence someone, especially without any pretext, the rest of the Akechi family gave him curious looks and awaited for him to continue. “Everyone, stop your horses!” Tada spoke in a quiet, yet urgent tone and stopped his horse, the rest did the same.

Now the rest of them heard what Tada heard, there was a second party riding through the forested area. However, soon after they stopped, the unknown group became silent, except for the occasional neigh of a horse. Everyone looked to Mitsuhide for guidance, but before he could respond, a booming voice shouted orders, “State who you are, or we will attack!”

Fortunately, the intimidating voice was a voice that the Akechi group recognized. “Toshizo! It’s Mitsuhide, don’t shoot!”

“Mitsuhide? Akechi Mitsuhide?” Toshizo’s loud voice was no longer threatening after they realized it was a friend. 

“Of course it’s Akechi Mitsuhide!” Mitsuhide said as he dismounted his horse, but stopped his wife after she tried to dismount also. “Stay here,” he told her quietly. 

As Toshizo and his soldiers revealed themselves, Haru and Tada also dismounted their horses. Saito Toshizo was a nephew of Saito Dosan, and a well-trained spearman. Toshizo led a party that was a mix of a few spearmen and cavalry men. Mitsuhide and Toshizo hugged each other, the Akechi had always been close with the Saito so they knew each other since childhood. “It’s great to see you again, Mitsuhide, but I have troubling news…” Toshizo hung his head in despair.

“What’s wrong?” Mitsuhide looked behind Toshizo,and noticed something unsettling. Toshizo’s men carried two banners, one bearing the symbol for the Saito clan, and the other bearing Saito Yoshitatsu’s name. 

“Yoshitatsu sent me here to capture you…”

Mitsuhide sighed, “Toshizo, we both know what Yoshitatsu is going to do if you bring us to him.”

Toshizo shook his head and put his hand on Mitsuhide’s shoulder, “You don’t know that. I know you must not trust Yoshitatsu, but he’s not a bad person.”

“Is that why he’s out there murdering his own father?” Mitsuhide sharply responded as he brushed away Toshizo’s hand. 

Toshizo took a few steps back, “Mitsuhide, don’t do this. I don’t want to have to bring you by force.”

“Then just let my family and I go!” Mitsuhide rose his voice and stepped forward, even with a small armed force behind Toshizo, Mitsuhide was sure he could intimidate Toshizo to let them go. 

Toshizo’s eyes glanced to the left, and as his eyes fell back to Mitsuhide, his entire demeanor suddenly changed. He stood his ground and spoke louder, “Mitsuhide, I can’t do that!”

“And why not?” 

Before Mitsuhide got a response, a gunshot fired off that took everyone but Toshizo by surprise. Except for those trying to settle their startled horses, everyone looked towards the source of the shot. Out of the brush walked two young men with a group of soldiers following them. The young man with a smug grin who was holding the gun responsible was Saito Tatsuoki, the son of Yoshitatsu. His bright faced companion standing next to him was Takenaka Hanbei, the young genius had his arms crossed and his head tilted. 

“Well well, if it isn’t Mitsuhide and his family?” Tatsuoki snickered as he handed his gun over to Hanbei, who begrudgingly took it and began reloading it. 

“Tatsuoki! I’ve got this under control!” Toshizo scowled at Tatsuoki. 

“Hmph! You should know who you’re speaking to! I’m going to be your lord one day!” Tatsuoki responded angrily, before turning his attention back to Mitsuhide. “Well Mitsuhide. This is the great Akechi family that my grandfather loves so much?” Tatsuoki spoke arrogantly as he took his gun back from Hanbei.

Hanbei sighed and rubbed his cheek, muttering under his breath, “Here we go…”

Tatsuoki begin examining all of the members of the Akechi family, and his eyes locked with Hiroko, who began to quiver with fear. Tatsuoki grinned and rubbed his chin as he stared at her, “I’ve heard you’re known for being ugly and scarred, wife of Mitsuhide. Maybe you should take off the dress and show us if that’s true?”

“Tatsuoki! Leave her alone!” Mitsuhide shouted as he reached for his katana. However, as Mitsuhide gripped his hilt, Tatsuoki pointed his gun at Hiroko, causing her to squeal. 

Mitsuhide’s eyes widened and his heart began pounding as he watched his wife tremble and begin to cry. Tatsuoki sneered at her, “Take off the dress, now.”

Hiroko, still mounted on Mitsuhide’s horse, looked to Mitsuhide with tearful eyes. Mitsuhide’s own eyes began to water, but he swallowed his pride and nodded to her, “Hiroko, it’ll be okay…”

Toshizo had had enough of Tatsuoki’s disrespect and rudeness. So while the rest of the Saito troops watched intently as Hiroko pulled off her hood and began untying her dress, he leaned in and whispered to Mitsuhide who was only a step away, “I’m going to distract Tatsuoki… Your next move is up to you.” Mitsuhide gave a slight nod and awaited the distraction, keeping his hand tightly around the hilt of his katana that was kept in its sheath.

A moment later, Toshizo suddenly shouted and pointed behind Tatsuoki and his party, “Lord Tatsuoki! It’s Dosan! He’s headed this way!” 

The trick worked and everyone looked in that direction. While they were distracted, Mitsuhide lunged forward and unsheathed his katana, quickly slicing Tatsuoki’s musket in half. While everyone was still realizing what just happened, Mitsuhide lifted his katana above his head and sliced down towards Tatsuoki. Fortunately for Tatsuoki, Hanbei used his bladed sundial to stop Mitsuhide’s blade just inches from Tatsuoki’s head.

“Chieko, Hiroko, Yasu, Run!” Tada yelled as he pulled out his massive kanaboi. The three obeyed his command, riding their horses away leaving Mitsuhide, Tada, and Haru alone with no easy method of escape.

Tatsuoki, who had fallen to the floor after Mitsuhide and Hanbei’s weapons clashed, started crawling behind his soldiers, “You fools! Attack! Attack them!”

While Tatsuoki barked orders and his men closed in on Mitsuhide and his cousins, Toshizo, armed with his short spear, turned towards his men, “I’m going to help Mitsuhide! Any who object can tell it to my spear!” 

One of Toshizo’s most loyal companions, Kani Saizo, a strange young samurai with wild, unkempt hair who fought with two naginatas and kept fresh bamboo stalks protruding out of the back of his armor, shouted loudly in support for Toshizo, “Lord Toshizo! We would follow you to the end of the earth!” Even though he was Yoshitatsu’s son, Tatsuoki was despised throughout the Saito for being so ill-mannered and neglectful, so it didn’t take much for Toshizo and his soldiers to turn on him. 

Rain had began falling again as the fighting continued. Unbeknownst to the smaller group of belligerents, Yoshitatsu’s army was wiping out the remnants of Dosan’s army, and Dosan himself had already fallen on the battlefield. On the smaller battlefield in the middle of the forest on Inabayama, Mitsuhide and Toshizo’s soldiers clearly had the advantage over Tatsuoki’s, and Takenaka Hanbei realized this. Overall ten soldiers out of the fifty were killed, and all of them were Tatsuoki’s soldiers. 

Hanbei pulled himself away from the fighting, and began pondering on how to get everyone to stop and listen to him. He knew that the only way his soldiers could survive is if he stopped the fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, Hanbei saw Tatsuoki cowering behind a tree. “Ah, perfect!” Hanbei exclaimed as an idea finally came to him. He walked over to Tatsuoki and whispered to him. “Tatsuoki, I’m gonna pretend to take you hostage, just play along.”

“Huh?” Tatsuoki hadn’t heard anything that Hanbei said, but before he could protest, Hanbei yanked him out from behind the tree and held one of the blades on his sundial up to Tatsuoki’s neck. 

“Everyone! Stop fighting! I’m going to kill Tatsuoki!” Hanbei yelled in an attempt to get everyone’s attention, yet they were too locked in combat to hear his soft voice. 

“HANBEI! LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW!” luckily, Tatsuoki’s booming cries were loud enough to momentarily stop the fighting and make everyone look at the two.

“Wow, good acting, Tatsuoki!” Hanbei smiled and cleared his voice. “Everyone! Aren’t we all just soldiers of the Saito? Why are we tearing ourselves apart?” Hanbei paused for a second, as if he was going to let someone respond. “Everyone! Loyal soldiers of the Saito! Let’s stop killing each other and just go our separate ways.” After hearing Hanbei’s words, both sides stood down and separated, but kept their guard up. 

He finally dropped Tatsuoki, who got up and growled at him, “What the hell, Hanbei!?”

Hanbei crossed his arms and pouted at Tatsuoki, “Don’t yell at me like that! I just saved our lives!”

On the other side, Mitsuhide and Toshizo tried to sort out what to do next. They had all managed to escape without any major injuries. Toshizo put his bloody spear away and gave three of his men’s horses to the Akechi group, “Mitsuhide, Mitsuharu, please take my horses, you need to get to Akechi Castle. There’s no doubt that Yoshitatsu has won, and that’s going to be his next target.”

Mitsuhide sighed and mounted one of the horses, “Toshizo, come with us. Yoshitatsu will kill you for this!”

Toshizo shook his head and bowed to Mitsuhide, “Thank you for the offer, but I must go to my lord.” 

Haru mounted a horse also, he was still breathing heavily from the skirmish, “You may serve a traitor, Toshizo, but at least you serve him with honor.”

Toshizo smiled and bowed to Haru as well, “Hopefully, you all make it to Akechi Castle safe, and the rest of your family as well.”

Mitsuhide’s eyes widened and he gasped as he remembered Hiroko, Chieko, and Yasu, “Ah! I don’t know if they know the way to the castle!”

Toshizo lifted his head and smiled as he watched them quickly ride away, “Until next time, Mitsuhide!”


	4. Chapter 4

Mitsuhide, Mitsuharu and Mitsutada rode as hard as they could towards Akechi Castle. The trip became uneasy as they got closer and closer to their stronghold with no sign of Yasuhide, Hiroko and Chieko. After a few hours of riding through the rain, they approached Akechi Castle. At the gates, they dismounted and Mitsuhide quickly went up to one of the guards. “Has anyone else arrived at the castle recently?”

“No, Lord Akechi. Should we be expecting someone?” the guard asked as he bowed to Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide sighed, “Stay on the lookout for a small party of three. Two women and a child on horses. My mother, wife and brother.” The guard bowed to him again and Mitsuhide then spoke solemnly to Haru and Tada, “They never made it. I’m going to go organize some search parties.”

As Haru was wringing out his long hair, he frowned at Mitsuhide and asserted, “We don’t have the time or the men for search parties! You heard Toshizo, Yoshitatsu will be headed here next once he defeats Dosan!”

Mitsuhide narrowed his eyes at Haru, “Just because you’re jealous of our marriage, doesn’t mean you need to want her to be lost.”

“How dare you!?” Haru snapped at Mitsuhide. “I care about all of them just as much as you do! But we can’t risk the lives of everyone at this castle for those three!”

As much as it hurt Mitsuhide, he realized that Haru was right. “You’re right, Mitsuharu. We should prepare the defenses of the castle,” Mitsuhide sighed and walked into the castle.

Haru and Tada looked at each other in surprise, it was not usual for Mitsuhide to give in like that. Before the two of them entered the castle, however, a guard shouted and pointed off into the distance, “There’s a party approaching the castle!”

Haru and Tada looked and spotted a group of roughly fifty men on horses riding towards the castle. “Who’s flag are they flying?” Haru shouted.

One of the guards looked through a spyglass at the group, “I believe it’s the flag of the Tsumaki!”

“Oh no,” Haru groaned, “I finally get Mitsuhide to think reasonably and now that fool and his father have to show up…” 

“Lord Mitsuharu, shall we alert Lord Mitsuhide of their arrival?” a guard asked.

Haru shook his head, “No, he doesn’t need to be bothered with something like this. I’ll handle it.”

The Tsumaki rode up to the gates, with the clan’s leader, the old and wise Tsumaki Hirotada leading them. Next to him was his young, raucous son: Tsumaki Sadanori. He rode out ahead of his father to Haru and Tada, and began spewing out demands, “Where is my sister?! We’ve come to take her home!”

Haru crossed his arms and responded sternly, “She’s Mitsuhide’s wife. He does not have to give her up, even to you.”

Before his son could reply, Hirotada stepped in, “It is unfortunate that we must take her, but during these turbulent times in Mino, I wish to have my family all together. We simply wish for an audience with Mitsuhide.”

“With all due respect, Lord Hirotada, Mitsuhide is extremely busy due to Yoshitatsu’s sudden betrayal. We plan to resist Yoshitatsu, and there’s no doubt that we have the Tsumaki’s support, yes?”

Hirotada and Sadanori shot each other glances before Hirotada continued, “The Tsumaki have decided to not take part in this conflict. Yoshitatsu has already promised us the safety of the Tsumaki as long as we do not fight against him.”

Haru shook his head in disappointment, “You people sicken me! Turning your backs on Dosan after all he’s done for Mino.”

“Ah, you just don’t understand, young one. If you wish for you and your family to survive in this world we live in today, sometimes honor and loyalty must come second.”

Haru got quiet and did not respond, he couldn’t respond. Mitsuhide stepped between his two cousins and bowed to Hirotada, “Lord Hirotada, I have…” he stopped and sighed, “unpleasant news.”

“What is it, Lord Mitsuhide?” Hirotada slowly climbed off of his horse, and bowed in return.

“Hiroko… Is missing,” Mitsuhide said hesitantly. 

“What!?” Sadanori jumped off of his horse and stomped up to Mitsuhide, snatching him by his collar. “Where is my sister!?”

Mitsuhide let out a shaky sigh, his eyes were red and it was obvious that he had been crying, “I don’t know, Sadanori. I am truly sorry.” Sadanori quickly realized that Mitsuhide was just as distraught as he was, and let him go. 

They all went inside and sat in the council room of the castle. Mitsuhide explained what had happened in the previous hours. Hirotada stroked his small, white beard after hearing Mitsuhide’s story, “It’s truly a shame that father and son must go to war. Times just seem to be getting worse and worse…” Everyone let out murmur of agreement. “Well, we understand your situation now. Please allow us to search for Hiroko. You must build up your defenses, Lord Mitsuhide.”

Mitsuhide nodded to him, “Thank you, and if you find my mother and brother with Hiroko, please take them to Tsumaki Castle as well.”

“Of course. I must beg your pardon, but we will begin searching now. The best of luck to you, Lord Mitsuhide,” Hirotada and Sadanori both stood, bowed to everyone and began to leave. 

However, before the two of them could exit, a guard rushed into the room. “Lord Mitsuhide! Saito Yoshitatsu’s army has just arrived! He has sent Saito Toshizo to seek an audience with you!”

“Send him in. Quickly! Lord Hirotada, your input would be most appreciated,” Mitsuhide spoke before the guard left the room. Hirotada and Sadanori both took their seats again. Toshizo then entered the room with Akechi guards following behind him, their weapons pointed at his back. With a wave of his hand, Mitsuhide dismissed the guards before speaking to Toshizo, “Well...?”

“It isn’t pretty, Mitsuhide…” Toshizo stepped forward and handed him a scroll.

Mitsuhide opened the scroll and read it to himself before orating aloud for everyone to hear, “Lord Mitsuhide, I expect a total surrender of the castle, and that you and all of the members of the Akechi Clan present yourselves to me personally. Failure to comply will lead to the destruction of Akechi Castle, the deaths of all its inhabitants, as well as the deaths of my cousin Toshizo, your dear wife, mother, and brother… Signed, Saito Yoshitatsu, Lord of Mino.” Mitsuhide dropped the scroll after he finished reading, and buried his face in his hands. 

“Toshizo, do they really have them?” Haru asked, and Toshizo nodded in response.

“Then you have to give yourselves up! You can’t let Hiroko die!” Tsumaki Sadanori cried out, “Tell him, father!” 

Hirotada hesitated before he spoke, “No, my son. This is Lord Mitsuhide’s castle, his family, and his men. Thus, his decision.” Sadanori grumbled but accepted his father’s words. 

Mitsuhide pulled away from his hands and looked to Haru, who shook his head as he was still trying to think of the right decision also. Mitsuhide then looked to Toshizo, he was sweating profusely and very fidgety. “Toshizo, are you going to be okay?”

“Of course, M-Mitsuhide,” Toshizo’s speech was very uneasy and shaky; Mitsuhide had never seen Toshizo so anxious before. Mitsuhide figured that something was wrong, for Toshizo usually stood tall, even in the face of death. 

Mitsuhide stood and walked up to Toshizo, “Toshizo, I am your best friend. We grew up together, you can tell me anything.”

With a sigh of great relief, Toshizo finally erupted, “Mitsuhide… Yoshitatsu plans to execute you all after you surrender, even your family that he has captured. He will then wipe out any who oppose him.” This revelation caused everyone in the room to gasp in disbelief. 

Mitsuhide hugged Toshizo; Mitsuhide knew it could not have been easy for Toshizo to reveal his lord’s true intentions. “Thank you, Toshizo. You are a true friend. I suppose we have no choice but to resist.”

“Mitsuhide, hold on. I have a bad feeling about this,” Haru stood up as he spoke. “Don’t you think it’s a little odd that Yoshitatsu sent Toshizo to deliver this message? Someone who he knows is very close to you?” 

Mitsuhide stopped hugging Toshizo. “I hope you’re not questioning my trust in Toshizo?”

Toshizo nodded and pleaded to Haru, “I’m not apart of any kind of secret plot!”

Haru stepped closer towards the two of them, “Perhaps you are, and you don’t realize it, Toshizo. Let me ask you this, how did you know that Yoshitatsu really plans to execute us all?”

“Well… The strategist Takenaka Hanbei told me after Yoshitatsu told him.”

“Why would Hanbei tell you such information?” Toshizo began thinking, but Haru continued before he could respond, “Because they knew you were going to tell us.”

“Haru, that doesn’t make sense. why wouldn’t they want us to surrender?” Mitsuhide questioned.

“I-I don’t know…” Haru turned with embarrassment and looked away from everyone else.

“I think I may have an answer,” the quiet Tada spoke now, “Toshizo, how many soldiers did Yoshitatsu bring to siege our castle?”

“I guess… Around two thousand troops,” Toshizo answered

“I believe that’s enough to scare us into thinking he’s serious, but he’d have a tough time taking our castle of one thousand strong. Wouldn’t you all agree?” Tada looked around for approval. 

“So… Yoshitatsu must be trying to scare us to keep us inside of the castle, instead of going out to attack him,” Haru exclaimed.

“You two think I should lead an attack on Yoshitatsu then?” Mitsuhide asked as he sat down again. “Lord Hirotada, what is your input?”

Lord Hirotada looked towards the ceiling and began to speak, “I think what these two say has merit, and their advice should be heeded… It’s just saddening that we will be unable to save my dear Hiroko.” He wiped a few tears from his cheek, while his son next to him was sobbing loudly.

“Well, if it gives you any solace, Hiroko was being treated very well by Yoshitatsu, and she was still alive when he sent me here,” Toshizo explained to the two Tsumakis.

“If only there was a way we could save Hiroko!” Sadanori howled as he wept.

“Hmm…” Mitsuhide stood again. “Haru, Tada, I’m putting you in charge of the attack. Ready our troops and report back to me once you are prepared to strike. Right now,” They both bowed to their cousin and left the room. Now only Mitsuhide, Toshizo, and the Tsumaki remained as Mitsuhide suggested, “Now then, I want to rescue Hiroko. By sneaking in.”

“Mitsuhide, please. She is being kept with Lord Yoshitatsu in his camp, trying to save her would be suicide,” Toshizo advised.

“Toshizo, I have a plan. I’m no ninja, but if I were to sneak in while Yoshitatsu was busy fighting against my army, I believe I could successfully get them out.”

Toshizo looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, “I suppose there’s a chance it could work. Since Lord Yoshitatsu’s forces are scarce, I’m sure he would use all of his forces to defend against your attack.” 

“Lord Mitsuhide, Hiroko means the world to us, but you have a castle, a family and an army that you need to look after. Would these things be able to survive if you were lost?” Hirotada gave Mitsuhide a disquieting look.

Mitsuhide smiled at him in return,“Of course. If I were to fall over and die right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that Mitsuharu would be able to run the Akechi in my stead. Perhaps even better than I am doing right now.” 

Unknown to Mitsuhide, Haru was standing right outside of the door as Mitsuhide praised him. Instead of feeling flattered or proud, Haru became distressed. Although Mitsuhide seemed to think he was ready to lead the Akechi, he did not regard himself so highly. Haru felt too under qualified and too inexperienced to take on Mitsuhide’s burden. Haru shook his head, he knew that there was no time for thinking those kinds of thoughts. He opened the sliding doors and delivered his information to Mitsuhide, “Our army is ready to strike on your orders. Yoshitatsu’s army hasn’t made any movements either. It seems they aren’t in any rush to surround the castle.”

“Good, thank you. Also, Haru, I’m placing you in charge of our army,” Mitsuhide smiled at him.

“Mitsuhide! I’m sorry, but you’re much more qualified to lead the army!” Haru protested.

“That was an order, Haru. Besides, I have something else I must take care of.”

“What could be more important than defending the castle!?” Haru had not heard of Mitsuhide’s rescue plan.

“If I told you, I’m sure you would object, but I have to do this. Just trust me, Haru.”

Haru sighed and bowed to his brother, then Tsumaki Sadanori stood up quickly, “Mitsuhide! I’m going with you! Hiroko is my sister!”

Mitsuhide looked at Sadanori and then at his father. “Lord Hirotada…?”

Hirotada patted his son on the back. “It’s your choice, Lord Mitsuhide. My son is a well-trained warrior, so he would certainly be of help if you ran into any trouble.”

Mitsuhide crossed his arms as he looked to Sadanori, “Alright, but you’ve got to listen to everything I tell you.”

A large grin came across Sadanori’s face, “Thank you, Mitsuhide. You won’t regret this!”

“Toshizo, how far do you think Yoshitatsu’s camp is from here?” Mitsuhide questioned Toshizo, who was still standing awkwardly in the center of the room.

Toshizo rubbed his neck, “Mitsuhide… You aren’t going to hurt Yoshitatsu, are you?”

Mitsuhide blinked and looked at Toshizo oddly; that certainly wasn’t the response he expected. “My single goal is to rescue my family.”

Toshizo sighed and hesitantly spoke, “About five minutes away on horse.”

“Good,” Mitsuhide responded. “Haru, I want you to strike in ten minutes.”

“I don’t like the sound of this, Mitsuhide…” Haru uttered.

“I told you to trust me, Haru. Ten minutes, that’s an order,“ Mitsuhide smiled as Haru let out a frustrated sigh, bowed to Mitsuhide, and then left the room. “I’m sorry I have to do this, Toshizo, but I’m sure you understand. Guards, take Toshizo to the dungeon, but treat him with the utmost respect.” Without any struggle, the guards disarmed Toshizo, and escorted him out of the room. 

Tsumaki Hirotada now stood and spoke, “I will go help Lord Mitsuharu lead the army. Good luck, my sons.” He smiled and left the room also. 

Sadanori crossed his arms and looked at Mitsuhide, “Although my father may see you as a son, you’ll never be a brother to me if we don’t save Hiroko.”

“We’ll save her. I know we will. But we need to hurry,” Mitsuhide assured him.


	5. Chapter 5

Since Saito Yoshitatsu had not surrounded Akechi Castle, Sadanori and Mitsuhide were able to leave through the back and travel through the surrounding forest towards Yoshitatsu’s camp. After a few minutes of traveling, Yoshitatsu’s camp was in sight, but it was impossible to see if any of their family members were being held there. “We’re going to have to wait for Mitsuharu to attack, Yoshitatsu’s camp is too full right now,” Mitsuhide said as they observed the camp in some bushes a couple hundred feet away from the camp.

“Well, they better hurry up! I wanna save Hiroko!” Sadanori exclaimed, before Mitsuhide shushed him. 

It began raining as the two of them sat in silence. Perfect for them, Mitsuhide figured, as it would make their movements even harder to spot. A couple minutes passed, and the gates of Akechi Castle opened. A large wave of bellflower banners flooded out towards Yoshitatsu’s soldiers. Mitsuhide turned his attention back towards Yoshitatsu’s camp as it gradually emptied out, with many of its occupants leaving to the battlefield. He realized that it was as good a time as any to move. “Let’s go!” Mitsuhide ordered, and the two of them ran towards the side of Yoshitatsu’s encampment. 

With all of the commotion, neither of them were spotted as they stuck close to the cloth walls that surrounded Yoshitatsu’s rectangular camp. Mitsuhide shushed Sadanori again before slowly pulling out his katana and cutting a small slit through one of the cloth walls. He peered inside and scanned the small camp, he could see Yoshitatsu, Takenaka Hanbei and a handful of other samurai. His hopes of finding his family were almost gone until he finally laid eyes on them. The three of them were on their knees, tied up in the corner on the opposite side of the camp, even in their debilitated state Mitsuhide had never been more happy or relieved to see them.

Mitsuhide was about to tell Sadanori what he had saw, when a conversation suddenly caught his attention. “The reinforcements have been spotted, they will be upon us momentarily, Lord Yoshitatsu.” He heard a samurai say.

“Well, your little trap worked perfectly, Hanbei. The Akechi have made themselves vulnerable and will fall quickly. I’m going to the battlefield, I want to ensure the destruction of the Akechi myself.” Yoshitatsu responded as he stood up from his chair. 

Before Yoshitatsu could leave the camp, one of their samurai retainers motioned towards their captives. “What do we do with them?”

“Right, I almost forgot about them…” Yoshitatsu looked at his bound and gagged prisoners. While Yasu and Hiroko were shaking and terror-stricken, Chieko calmly gazed at her captor. Yoshitatsu smirked at the relaxed Chieko before speaking. “Kill the old one and the child, we’ll have to send the woman back to her family.” Yoshitatsu took a few samurai and left, leaving only Hanbei and four other soldiers in the camp.

Hanbei sighed as Yoshitatsu left the camp, leaving him to do the dirty work. “Well, you heard him, bring those two over here.” After Hanbei’s orders, two men began dragging Chieko and Yasu to the center of camp where Hanbei sat.

Unable to restrain himself, Mitsuhide sliced through the cloth walls of the camp and ran into it. Before anyone could react, Mitsuhide lunged forward at the soldier dragging Chieko and slashed his torso. Mitsuhide then swung around towards the man dragging Yasu and stabbed him through his chest. Unable to dislodge his katana, Mitsuhide was defenseless as one of Yoshitatsu’s men charged and swung at him from behind, fortunately someone jumped in between the two and stopped the soldier’s sword from hitting Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide’s savior was not Sadanori, who had instead ran over to the relatively safe Hiroko; it was Kani Saizo, Toshizo’s bamboo samurai, who had also been in the camp. Saizo overpowered the soldier and knocked him unconscious by smacking him with the blunt end of one of his naginatas.

Hanbei groaned and slumped in his chair, knowing that he was defeated and outnumbered. “Mitsuhide, you’re really starting to get on my nerves.”

With the camp now free of any foes, Mitsuhide freed his katana from the dying soldier and turned to Hanbei. “I could say the same about you.” He then looked at Saizo, who was now untying Yasu. “You’re one of Toshizo’s men, aren’t you?” Mitsuhide asked.

Saizo nodded, his speech was muffled as he was chewing on a bamboo twig, “That’s right. Kani Saizo’s the name.”

As Yasu was untied, he hopped up and hugged Mitsuhide tightly, he was still shaking in fear. Mitsuhide rubbed Yasu’s head as he continued speaking to Saizo, “The whole Akechi Clan is in your debt.”

Saizo bowed to Mitsuhide. “I just did what Toshizo woulda done.”

“Toshizo would be proud.” Mitsuhide untied his mother next, and she stood up and brushed her dress off when she was freed. Mitsuhide gave his mother a quick embrace and gave Yasu to her, before turning to see his wife. 

“I’m fine! I’m not hurt, brother!” she exclaimed in an irritated tone, as Sadanori checked her body for any wounds, aside from the many scars that covered her body from her previous small pox disease. 

“I wouldn’t have to worry if your husband actually took care of you!” Sadanori shouted as Hiroko pulled away from him.

“He came and helped you saved my life, didn’t he!?” Hiroko yelled in response.

“Quiet! Both of you! Someone is going to hear us!” Chieko snapped, which silenced the squabbling siblings. 

With their argument ended, Hiroko rushed into Mitsuhide’s arms. Her eyes swelled with tears as the two held each other. “Mitsuhide… I was so scared,” she uttered in a hushed tone. 

“I was too… But I knew it would be okay. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, my love,” Mitsuhide spoke silently as he held her.

“Lord Akechi, you should go now. Before any more of Lord Yoshitatsu’s men come!” Kani Saizo urged.

“You must come with us! You saved our lives!” Yasu pleaded as he smiled up at the warrior. 

“You’d better go with ‘em, Saizo. I don’t think Yoshitatsu would be generous enough to spare you twice,” Hanbei suggested nonchalantly as he used his sundial to shield his head from the rain.


End file.
